给 Passive (Colloquial)
Use `给` to casually explain what was done to something by someone in everyday Chinese.
The Rule in 30 Seconds
- Use `给` as a colloquial passive marker meaning 'by'.
- Structure: Receiver + 给 + Doer + Verb + Result.
- Best for casual speech and daily life scenarios.
- Often interchangeable with `被` but sounds more natural and informal.
Quick Reference
| Sentence Type | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Passive | Receiver + 给 + Doer + Verb | 书给老师拿走了 (The book was taken by the teacher) |
| Accident | Receiver + 给 + Doer + Verb | 杯子给弟弟打破了 (The cup was broken by little brother) |
| Food/Drink | Receiver + 给 + Doer + Verb | 咖啡给同事喝了 (The coffee was drunk by a colleague) |
| Emphatic Passive | Receiver + 被 + Doer + 给 + Verb | 衣服被雨给淋湿了 (The clothes were soaked by the rain) |
| Animal Actions | Receiver + 给 + Animal + Verb | 鱼给猫叼走了 (The fish was carried away by the cat) |
| Digital/Tech | Receiver + 给 + Doer + Verb | 照片给妹妹删了 (The photo was deleted by younger sister) |
Key Examples
3 of 8我的笔给同学借走了。
My pen was borrowed by a classmate.
早饭给哥哥吃光了。
Breakfast was eaten up by my older brother.
路给大雪封住了。
The road was blocked by heavy snow.
The 'Result' is Key
Always add a result to your verb. Use `了`, `完`, or `走`. It makes the sentence feel complete.
Don't Swap the Order
The person who is 'sad' or 'affected' always comes first. Don't let the dog bite you in your grammar!
The Rule in 30 Seconds
- Use `给` as a colloquial passive marker meaning 'by'.
- Structure: Receiver + 给 + Doer + Verb + Result.
- Best for casual speech and daily life scenarios.
- Often interchangeable with `被` but sounds more natural and informal.
Overview
Ever felt like things just happen to you?
Maybe your umbrella was stolen.
Maybe your heart was broken.
In English, we use 'was' or 'got'.
In Chinese, we often use 被.
But 被 can feel a bit stiff.
It feels like a textbook.
Enter the colloquial hero: 给.
It is the casual way to speak.
It makes you sound like a local.
Think of it as the 'get' in 'I got hit'.
It is friendly and very common.
You will hear it in every coffee shop.
You will hear it in every movie.
It turns a sentence into a story.
It focuses on the action's impact.
Let’s dive into this cool tool.
How This Grammar Works
Usually, 给 means 'to give'.
But here, it acts as a marker.
It points to the person who did something.
It flips the sentence around.
Instead of 'He hit me', you say 'I got hit by him'.
It places the 'victim' at the start.
It places the 'culprit' after 给.
This makes the receiver the main topic.
It is like a spotlight on the receiver.
Native speakers use this for emphasis.
It adds a flavor of 'this happened to me'.
It is very popular in Northern China.
Formation Pattern
- 1Creating this sentence is like building a sandwich.
- 2Follow these four simple steps:
- 3Start with the Receiver (the person/thing affected).
- 4Add the word
给. - 5Add the Doer (the person/thing who did it).
- 6Finish with the Verb and a result.
- 7Structure: [Receiver] +
给+ [Doer] + [Verb] + [Result/了]. - 8Example:
我的手机(Receiver) +给+他(Doer) +拿走了(Verb + Result). - 9Translation: My phone was taken by him.
When To Use It
Use it in casual conversations with friends.
Use it when something unexpected happens.
It is perfect for real-world scenarios.
Imagine you are at a restaurant.
'My water was drunk by someone!'
我的水给别人喝了。
Imagine a job interview (the casual part).
'My ideas were accepted by the team.'
我的想法给团队接受了。
Use it for accidents or mistakes.
'The cake was eaten by the cat.'
蛋糕给猫吃了。
It makes your Chinese sound less robotic.
It adds a touch of emotion.
When Not To Use It
Do not use it in formal documents.
Avoid it in legal contracts or news.
In those cases, stick to 被.
Do not use it if there is no doer.
If you don't know who did it, use 被.
Example: 'The city was destroyed'.
给 usually needs a specific 'culprit'.
Think of it like a grammar traffic light.
Red light: Formal reports or unknown doers.
Green light: Chatting with friends about daily life.
Common Mistakes
Yes, even native speakers mess this up sometimes.
The biggest mistake is swapping the names.
If you say 我给狗咬了, you were bitten.
If you say 狗给我咬了, you bit the dog!
Unless you are a very strange person, avoid this.
Another mistake is forgetting the result.
Passive sentences need a 'ending' like 了 or 走.
You can't just say 书给他拿.
You must say 书给他拿走了.
It needs that sense of completion.
Contrast With Similar Patterns
How is 给 different from 被?
Think of 被 as the serious older brother.
Think of 给 as the fun younger sibling.
被 is formal and sometimes sounds negative.
给 is casual and feels more natural.
Sometimes, people combine them for extra power.
我的钱被他给偷了。
This is like saying 'My money was REALLY stolen by him'.
It adds a lot of emphasis to the verb.
Quick FAQ
Q. Can I use 给 for positive things?
A. Yes, but it is more common for neutral or bad things.
Q. Is it okay to use in Southern China?
A. Yes, but you might hear 被 or 叫 more often there.
Q. Do I need to change the verb?
A. No, the verb stays exactly the same.
Q. Is it like the English word 'by'?
A. Exactly! In this specific pattern, 给 means 'by'.
Reference Table
| Sentence Type | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Passive | Receiver + 给 + Doer + Verb | 书给老师拿走了 (The book was taken by the teacher) |
| Accident | Receiver + 给 + Doer + Verb | 杯子给弟弟打破了 (The cup was broken by little brother) |
| Food/Drink | Receiver + 给 + Doer + Verb | 咖啡给同事喝了 (The coffee was drunk by a colleague) |
| Emphatic Passive | Receiver + 被 + Doer + 给 + Verb | 衣服被雨给淋湿了 (The clothes were soaked by the rain) |
| Animal Actions | Receiver + 给 + Animal + Verb | 鱼给猫叼走了 (The fish was carried away by the cat) |
| Digital/Tech | Receiver + 给 + Doer + Verb | 照片给妹妹删了 (The photo was deleted by younger sister) |
The 'Result' is Key
Always add a result to your verb. Use `了`, `完`, or `走`. It makes the sentence feel complete.
Don't Swap the Order
The person who is 'sad' or 'affected' always comes first. Don't let the dog bite you in your grammar!
The Super Passive
Want to sound really native? Use `被...给...` together. It's like adding an exclamation mark to your passive sentence.
Northern Flavor
If you are in Beijing, you will hear `给` used this way constantly. It's a hallmark of natural, earthy Mandarin.
Ejemplos
8我的笔给同学借走了。
Focus: 给
My pen was borrowed by a classmate.
A very common way to describe things moving between people.
早饭给哥哥吃光了。
Focus: 吃光了
Breakfast was eaten up by my older brother.
Use '吃光了' to show it's completely gone.
路给大雪封住了。
Focus: 大雪
The road was blocked by heavy snow.
The 'doer' doesn't have to be a person.
我的秘密给小王发现了。
Focus: 发现
My secret was discovered by Xiao Wang.
Often used for things we didn't want to happen.
那个杯子给孩子打碎了。
Focus: 给
That cup was broken by the child.
In a formal report, you would use '被'.
✗ 我给狗咬了。 → ✓ 狗给我咬了。
Focus: 我给狗咬了
✗ I bit the dog. → ✓ I was bitten by the dog.
Wait! Actually, '我给狗咬了' means 'I was bitten'. The mistake is swapping them if you meant the opposite!
✗ 书给拿走了。 → ✓ 书给他拿走了。
Focus: 他
✗ The book was taken. → ✓ The book was taken by him.
Colloquial '给' usually needs the doer mentioned.
钱包被那个坏人给偷了。
Focus: 被...给
The wallet was stolen by that bad guy.
Using '被' and '给' together adds heavy emphasis.
Test Yourself
Complete the sentence to say 'The homework was eaten by the dog.'
作业 ___ 狗吃了。
In this colloquial passive structure, '给' marks the doer (the dog).
Choose the correct order for 'The car was washed by Dad.'
车 ___ ___ 洗了。
The structure is Receiver (车) + 给 + Doer (爸爸) + Verb (洗了).
Which word makes this sentence sound more casual?
我的伞 ___ 他拿走了。
While '被' and '让' work, '给' is the most colloquial choice here.
🎉 Score: /3
Visual Learning Aids
给 vs. 被
When to use Passive 给
Is the situation formal?
Do you know who did the action?
Common Scenarios for 给
Accidents
- • Breaking things
- • Losing items
Social
- • Secrets found
- • Items borrowed
Frequently Asked Questions
21 questionsNo! In this structure, it acts as a passive marker similar to 'by' in English. For example, 书给拿走了 means the book was taken, not given.
Usually, no. Colloquial 给 prefers to have a 'doer' mentioned. If you don't have a doer, use 被 instead.
Not necessarily polite, but it is much more casual. It sounds like you are telling a story to a friend rather than reading a report.
Yes, you can say 我给老板表扬了 (I was praised by the boss). However, it is slightly more common for neutral or negative events.
Both are colloquial passive markers. 给 focuses more on the action's completion, while 让 can sometimes imply 'allowing' something to happen.
Put 没 or 没有 before 给. For example, 作业没给狗吃掉 (The homework wasn't eaten by the dog).
Usually, we use 没 because passive sentences usually describe things that already happened. 不 is very rare here.
Yes, but it's much more frequent in Northern dialects. Southerners might use 被 or 叫 more often in casual speech.
This is a 'double passive' for emphasis. It makes the action sound more dramatic or significant, like 手机被我给丢了 (I really went and lost my phone).
Absolutely! It is one of the first passive structures Chinese children learn because it's so common at home.
No, Chinese verbs never change form. You just add a result word like 了 after the verb.
If you know who did it, yes: 窗户给弟弟打破了. If you don't know who did it, just use 窗户破了 or 窗户被打破了.
Yes, it's very similar to 'I got caught' or 'It got broken'. It's the 'get' of the Chinese language.
No, never use 是 with this structure. The 给 already handles the passive meaning.
That's fine! You can say 衣服给雨淋湿了 (The clothes were soaked by the rain). The rain is the 'doer'.
You should know it for listening, but in writing sections, 被 is usually the safer, more 'standard' choice.
Not at all! It just sounds natural and local. Even professors use it when they are chatting with friends.
In that case, 给 is the main verb meaning 'to give'. It's not the passive marker. Context is everything!
You would say 我给人打了. Here, 人 (person/someone) acts as the doer.
Not really, but shorter, punchier verbs are more common in this colloquial style.
No, 把 and passive 给 are opposites. 把 is active focus; 给 is passive focus. Don't mix them in one clause!
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